Temporary connection for metal structures.



W. D. GEiVHVlILL.

TEMPORARY CONNECTION FOR METAL STRUCTURES. APPLlCATlON FILED AUG.22, 1916.

3L g mma o Patented July 10, 1917.

' frameit has been necessary to unscrew the WOR'IHY DAVID GEMMILL, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR T0 PARISH BINGHAM COMPANY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

rEmronAmr CONNECTION, r013. METAL STRUCTURES.

1,232,528. Original application filed June a, 1916,

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, WORTHY DAvn) GEM- MILL, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Tempo rary Connections for Metal Structures; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to connecting parts of structures, and particularly metal structures for temporary handling prior to the final or rigid connecting of such parts.

In the manufacture of metal structures, such as automobile frames and similar devices, it has been customary toassemble the various parts of the frame together andtemporarily connect these parts by means of screw clamps, or bolts and nuts, and in the case of nuts being used they are of the ordinary or wing type. In the riveting of such clamps or unscrew the nuts to remove such nuts and bolts, and then insert a rivet in the hole previously occupied by the bolts and then the head of such rivet is riveted down on the parts to connect the same together.

The object of my invention is to dispense with the use of these clamps, bolts and nuts, and to use the connecting rivets with other means for detachably holdingthe parts of the frame together temporarily, and which' will enable such connecting means to be removed at the proper time to permit the rivets to be headed in the usual manner.

To these ends my invention consists in the novel method, as hereinafter more specifically set forth in connection with devices for carrying such method into effect. 'Such devices form the subject of my co-pending' application, Serial No. 101,540, filed June 3, 1916, of which this application is a division.

To enable others skilled in the art to which my invention appertains to practice and use my improved method, I will describe the same more fully, referring to the accompanying drawing in which:-

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing one end of an automobile frame with the parts composing the same assembled and temporarily held together in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is an enlarged Specification of Letters Patent. Patented July 10, 1917.

Serial No. 101,540. Divided and this application filed August 22,

1916. Serial No. 116,247.

top plan v'iew showing a portion of such frame. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the rivet holding device shown in Figs. 1 and" members being punched in the usual manner to form the usual holes to receive the usual rivets, through which the members are. to be permanently connected together. These rivets are shown at 4, and when the members 2 and 3 are assembled .in position, the holes formed by punching register with 'each other in such members for each rivet. The

head 5 on one end of each ri'vet' comes against the member through which the rivet is passed, and the other or opposite unheaded end on such rivet projects beyond the plurality of members to be united. When two of the rivets are thus placed in position,

lr'erein indicate headed projecting ends on such rivets as hereinafter described.

The rivet holding device is shown at 6, and is preferably made from a single piece of spring steel, suchas wire, which is bent centrally upon itself to form the coil or ring 7 at one end- After being so coiled the wire is bent to form the arms 8 extending outwardly from the coil '2', and then such wire is bent inwardly to form the triangular-shaped seating portions 9 at the other end of the device for engaging the. projected ends of the rivets. The wire is further bent at the outer extremities of the portions 8 to form the handle or gripping portions 10, 1

down along such rivets so as to rest upon or against the adjacent members, together with the remaining portions of such device.

together, so that the assembled structure can be moved about as required, and also to the riveting machine for riveting the said rivets in their permanent positions as hereinafter described. As each rivet is provided with a rivet holding device for holding all the parts in the assembled structure together, the parts of the structure will be temporarily but firmly held together and in place, so that such structure or such parts of the same in course of assemblage can be moved to the usual riveting machine where the proiect-ing end of the rivets 4 are headed, and

the rivet holding device 6 being readily removable by grasping the gripping portions 8 and drawing the same toward each other will free the portion 9 from the rivets, thereby enabling such device to be lifted off the rivets just before the heading punch descends.

In Fig. at, is shown another form of rivet holding device for use in holding a single rivet, and in this case, the portions 9' are brought toward each other in order to overlap and form the rivet receiving portion be: tween the ends of the same. This form is opened to fit over the projecting end of the rivet by pressing inward on the gripping portions 8 which will spring open said portions 9 sufficiently to fit over said end, and upon releasing such pressure on the portions 8' the portions 9' -will engage such rivet end. The portions 9 are released from engagement with the rivet ends by again pressing on the portions 8 to open up such portions 9 to free the same from such end.

In Fig. 5, a single rivet holding device is shown, in which the wire is bent centrally upon itself to form the ring or circle 7, and is of such size as to firmly grasp the projecting end of the rivet. After the circle 7' is so formed, the wire is crossed at 7, with the ends curved out in slightly diverging directions and extended upward to form the gripping portions 8". Upon pressing inward on the portionsS", the circle is enlarged to enable placing around the rivet and upon the pressure being released,.the circle engages the rivet. Th1s devlce is removed by pressing inward on the portions 8" which will open up the circle to permit the device beingtaken off the rivet.

In Fig. 6, is shown another single rivet holding device, in which a central loop 7 is formed for engaging the rivet andfrom which loop, the spring loops 8 extend. These loops 8 have the parallel gripping arms 8 extending out from the same, which upon being pressed inwardly will open the loop 7 to be placed around and remove same from the rivet, which upon the arms being released, the loop will engage the rivet. This device being fiat will retain its shape in case it is dropped upon the floor and tramped upon or truck run over the same.

Various other modifications and changes in the form of the rivet holding means, method employed,.combination of parts, and application of such means and method, may be resorted to in practising the method of my invention. I

It will thus be seen that in the employment of this invention, a great deal of time and labor will be saved, which were formerly consumed in applying clamps or bolts and nuts to hold the various parts of metal structure in their positions for proper assemblage to enable handling and final connecting of the same. It will also be seen that the invention will enable a rigid and firm temporary connection to be made of metal parts, so that the proper assemblage can be carried out, and by thus doing away with the use of clamps or bolts and nuts, will permit the rivets used for permanently connecting the parts together to be utilized for the temporary connection. It will further be seen that the various parts of the metal structure can be assembled and united in a rapid and methodical manner, as each rivet will be in its proper position and held for riveting at all times.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is The method of temporarily connecting members of metal structures, which consists in placing said members together and holding them by rivets, placing a quickly detachable device on each rivet to hold the same against displacement, and removing said device just prior to the riveting operation.

In testimony whereof, I the said WORTHY DAVID GEMMILL have hereunto set my hand.

WORTHY DAVID GEMMILL. 

